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The worsening situation of pollution in Lahore!

Pakistan's second largest city and Punjab's capital Lahore was ranked in ten of the most polluted cities of the world during the 2009-2013/2014 time period but since 2015 the pollution in Lahore has decreased. In 2016 Lahore was ranked 58th in the list of most polluted cities in the world so the pollution has decreased a lot. But even then the rate of pollution is gradually increasing in the city of Lahore. The increasing number of vehicles such as rickshaws,commercialization and the establishment of various industrial units has contributed towards the alarming rate of pollution in the eastern city of Lahore.
                                                       
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The open burning of coal releases harmful gases in the atmosphere such as Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxide (NO2). SO2 forms small acidic particles which can enter the lungs and can be absorbed by the bloodstream easily, SO2 also causes acid rain which is a big threat to the marine life as it acidifies the water of lakes, rivers and streams. The Lahore Canal is a water body in Lahore which as we see is also highly polluted, because all the trash of the surrounding areas is thrown into the canal, poor and homeless people use the canal for their personal uses such as washing and bathing. The acid rain is one of the reasons for the pollution of the canal but mainly the causes of its high pollution are the ones mentioned above. So now getting back to the air pollution, it is very high due to the increasing number of vehicles but mainly the only vehicle contributing towards the air pollution in Lahore are the rickshaws. The rickshaw drivers use cheap petrol which is highly toxic and harmful, when it is released in the atmosphere, the harmful gases add up to the air. Due to this reason  rickshaws are banned in the capital city of Pakistan Islamabad.
A Rickshaw
Due to commercialization in the city and infrastructure hundreds of trees are cut daily which is a major set back. Trees not only absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen but other air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter also enter the plants so trees play a really important role in reducing the air pollution and improving the air quality. Rubbish heaps even in the most developed areas of the city are never collected and thrown away, they remain there for months, even years so land pollution is also very high in the city. The local authorities should pay attention towards the worsening situation of pollution in Lahore and seriously do something about it!!!!

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